Death By Their Hands
by SoulMaiden24
Summary: As those four cursed fools live day to day, they don't realize that we are watching them, deciding if they are worthy, and waiting. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike, to rip their souls from their bodies.
1. Enter: Miu and Kaya

**A/N: Ha ha yes! Last day of school for me! And to celebrate, I'm starting this new story! Enjoy!**

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><p><em>How long has it been? <em>I started to think over in over in my head, the never ending question that forced its way into my thoughts now matter how much I hated the illusion of time, the one thing so far out of my reach.

There was no way to tell time in a place where the golden sun's rays never shown out of view, where you could drift aimlessly among the clouds, feeling the perfect breeze on your face. You could be so close to the sun, yet, you would never burn up. No, not here, this place was only meant for the weather to be perfect, for time to be dissolved and forgotten. But even so, I couldn't help but wonder about days, months, years even, never knowing how much time it has been.

As I started to walk around on the light and fluffy cumulus that unknowingly formed a solid walking surface. It was always so beautiful in Heaven, every little detail and description was absolutely perfection, and could not even compare to Earth in any way. The two places had many differences that would be impossible to account for every single one.

Enjoying my walk, I came into the opposite path of creatures cloaked in clad white with wings to match. I bowed my head to the nearby angels and allowed them to pass before me.

They smiled warmly towards me and offered a small bow of their own, before continuing on. It was only common courtesy for them to offer any signs in return, although it was almost mandatory for me to bow before them. They were higher beings than I, and besides that, there was some kind of feeling that I always felt toward the angels. It was never such horrid emotions like greed or envy, but more of a warm feeling, such as... appreciation? No, that wasn't the right word. Perhaps it is more of an essence of respect, yes, that might be a better word to describe it.

Angels were the purest kinds of beings of the afterlife, it was said that their souls and hearts were cleansed before the golden gates of Heaven before they would open for them. Although, those could just be rumors for all I know, because I was certainly no angel, yet the gates will open for me when I come.

_Perhaps it is because I am a messenger? _I thought, for I was one that delivered souls pure enough to be brought before the gates, who has no wings of her own. The soul ability of my flight from the source of the magic winged boots that I wear.

Wings, the snow white wings of an angel, to have ones like those were one of my deepest desires, to be able to soar through the sky on my own will, not by a couple of enchanted boots. Although I might as well be lucky as I am to be able to lift up into the sky at all, seeing that it would be very hard for someone at my level to earn her wings.

"Kaya!" I spun around on my heels as I heared my name being called, only to see my twin sister floating toward me on her own charmed shoes. I noted the smile on her face and created one on my own to match hers, and stood on the same spot until she had reached me.

"Hi Miu, how are you feeling?" I asked, although I had seen her not too long ago, so I wouldn't imagine she was much different.

"Oh, I am feeling just fine, thank you for asking." Miu responded with the same smile on her face. "I just finished delivering my set of souls to... uh... _Hell_." She said, dropping the volume of her voice to a whisper, because we both knew that in Heaven, you should never converse about it's counterpart, although my sister and I whispered back and forth about the subject.

"Right, thanks for doing that by the way. I just can't stand the essence of that place." I told her, my expression darkening a bit at the thought. Within a place like that, the only feeling that you are able to muster is utter despair, and that you could never escape.

I hated feeling trapped, with no hope, I just couldn't stand it. For some reason, I remember that feeling from when I still was among the living with my sister, along I still am not able to remember why.

"Anything for you, we're best friends, and family too."

"Right! So, is there anything new?" I asked her, because if there wasn't, that would just mean more free time, which would most likely equal to more aimless floating.

"Well, actually the Mistress sent me to go find you, because she says that she has a new assignment for us." She told me excitedly. Miu was always enthusiastic about our job, so I pretended that I was too.

"Then I guess that we should get going then..." I said with a hesitant smile. Then, she nodded as we both started to fly to our place of employment, although halfway there, I heard my sister start to giggle, which had quickly turn into a full blown laugh. I looked at her quizzically as our raven black hair flowed behind us in the sky, as she continued to laugh.

"It's funny, isn't it?" She said out loud, although I wasn't quite sure she was talking to me. But I kept staring at her until she looked at me, and started to talk some more.

"Eternal life, the thing that everyone seems to want, but we already have it." She said, and I was starting to understand what she meant, although I didn't really find it something to laugh about.

"Yeah, I guess it is quite humorous, how we are able to live forever..." I responded, and she started to chuckle some more, before looking back ahead.

"The key to eternal life, is actually death." Miu mused, as we finally reached the Mistress's house, which resembled a bit like a Roman palace, although it was the one place in Heaven where angels could not enter.

_We are Shinigami, we silently collect the souls of the dying. As silent as the passing wind._

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><p><strong>AN: **Okay, love it? Hate it? Think I'm an idiot for writing this? (This is kinda a prologue, but I'm counting it as a chapter)

God, my summer is so busy that I don't think I'm going to even have time to enjoy myself, but I'm gonna try and update! Wish me luck! ;)


	2. Similar

**Disclaimer: **Let's play two truths and a lie!

1. When I was about 10 I crushed my finger on a door hinge to see if it would hurt.  
>2. I have a scar on my arm from when one of my friends pushed me down on concrete<br>3. I own DN Angel and Yukiru Sugisaki is a fake name that I used.

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><p><strong>Miu's POV:<strong>

As we entered the Mistress's house, I still continued to think about that concept... How eternal life seemed so preposterous now that I already had it, even though it came with many disadvantages and sacrifices. But, then again, how do expect to obtain something as wonderful as the ability to live forever without exchanging something in the process?

I gave up a number of things, not a single one of them materialistic, as if you could hold them in your hand and barter them for the privilege of never feeling the worry of death, no, it did not simply just work that way.

The first thing that I had given was my life, obviously, because you might as well know that I am as good as dead. I remember that I had come down of a disease of some sort, and that I never awakened from a sort nap that I had tried to take. Although, that is all that I do remember from when I walked among the living, which was the moment that I died. It is actually sort of pathetic if you think about it, but I didn't care when I had passed on, all I needed to know was my name, and I had that at least.

The second thing that had been taken away were my memories, every single detail from what my life was back then is now a distant past. And trust me, I had tried to remember, I had spent time down on Earth trying to search for a form of an answer for myself, yet, I never found one.

Well, I guess that's not true, I did find Kaya, who had passed on a while after I had done so. And after that one glance at her, I knew, and I remembered _her. _It wasn't just those pale brown eyes and raven black hair that gave away that she was my twin sister, there was just this feeling inside of me that just _knew_ who she was. And she had known me too, and said how elated she was that she had found me.

"Hey, Kaya." I half whispered to my sister, which caused her to stop walking toward the assignment room as I did and look at me. "Did you... remember who I was before you saw me here? I mean, after we died and everything..." I asked her, my eyes in a serious gaze. She looked at me a bit confused, but I suppose I would look like that as well if she had asked me some bizarre question.

"Well, yes. I remember how you were very important to me, and that you died because of cancer." She said slowly and quietly, although there wasn't anyone in sight. But hey, walls have ears sometimes, you know?

"Then how come I didn't remember you until I saw you? And I don't remember how you died?" I started to question her, and the second I did, she seemed to tense up, if only for a brief moment. But quickly went back to giving a small smile that I almost always saw her wear.

"It's actually quite simple, you see. Because you died before I did, you couldn't of remembered me dying because it hadn't happened yet." She said cheerfully and looked me straight in the eyes, this time smirking just a little bit. "And I only remember how you died because we... died the same way, cancer ya know..."

And after thinking ablout it for a brief moment, I realized that she did make some valid points. I had been working for the Mistress longer than Kaya, and when she had started working here as well, the Mistress was nice enough to allow us to become partners. That was one of the happiest moments of my afterlife, to get back something that had been with me thorugh my life time. And what else could I ask for except to get back my own sister?

Without paying attention, I noticed that Kaya had already clocked both of us in and had rung the bell in front of the assignment room. Within a matter of seconds, the doors had opened and the two of us entered. The Mistress was standing the middle of the circular room, just like she always did when we arrived, and every time, we bowed down to her, just like we do now.

"Miu, Kaya... The two of you have been working here for quite some time now, haven't you?" She asked the two of us, and in response, we both simintamiously nodded our heads. "Good, because I have a new assignment for the both of you, although I believe that it might prove to be to difficult for you to accomplish..."

"In all due respect, Mistress..." I started to speak up, "We have never come across a problem yet in our time under your employment, and we have dealt before with murderers, phycos, and one man who believed he had the power to produce black magic..."

"What my sister is saying, is that we do not believe there is a task we can noot accomplish." Kaya added immediately after I had finished speaking, and she once again bowed down before the Mistress. What was she, scared?

"Girls, I am not doubting in your ability, if I did then I would not have taken you into this business. But besides the point, the both of you have been shingami longer than any one else that I have at my disposile, so you would be most fitted for the job." She told us, which had made me feel a bit better about myself. "All that I was saying was that this job requires you to decide if a number of four souls are worthy enough to enter heaven, or if they have commited too many sins, and be sent to Hael."

Hael, that was how the Mistress refered to Hell as, although I really didn't see what was the difference between the one letter. Perhaps it was just more _formal_ that way, although the meaning was still the same.

"Excuse me, but why is it that we are to decide?" Kaya soon spoke up, "And why is it only four souls? Usually, you assign the two of us a book of at least forty souls, and tell us where they are suppose to go..." And my sister brought us very good points, and if it weren't just for us deciding where the souls were to go, this would have been the easiest job we have been assigned yet.

"It is this time that you have to observe the subjects, since I have not been able to do as much..." And at the part, I gasped, only because I knew for a fact that the Mistress's powers allowed her to witness any person, animal, or even plant that was located among the living. For her not to be able to watch over a soul was absolutely unthinkable, because it was practically impossible. But, for there to be _four_ souls that were out of her reach, I didn't know what I should think any more.

"Yes, two of those souls have been living for hundreds of years, and have been undetectable, and therefore could be touched by my shinigami..." _My _shinigami? Geez, it sounds like we are her own personal pets or something. "And the other two share a body with the untouchable ones, so that would have made them impossible to watch as well." The Mistress then finished explaining.

_It sounds kind of tricky... _I thought to myself, _But as long as it helps take the souls to a better place for them._

In a sudden flash of bright light, two immwords oble female bodies appeared before the Mistress. Both of the bodies were exactly alike, and each had its eyes closed shut. Although, the two girls looked very familiar to me, but looking at Kaya, I could see that she was more confused than me, and didn't seem to recognize the bodies at all.

_Wait... _I turned back to the bodies, and back at Kaya once again... They looked so, similar. Except that Kaya had the ends of her hair dyed blood red, and the hair on the two girls were both a solid raven color.

"Mistress... Are these?" I started to ask, but she nodded before I could even finish my question. These must have been our human bodies, but... how was she able to obtain them?

"I told you, the two of you must observe your subjects, you must get close to them, and discover if a soul like their's is worthy enough. And for that, you will need your human bodies." The Mistress said, and then handed two crytal pednats to both me and Kaya. "These will allow you to transfrom from your human body to your regular form, so do not lose these."

As she said that, I took the one that Kaya was holding and tied it around her neck, and as soon as she finished, she did the same to myself. But I couldn't help but wonder, how does it work?

"Miu, Kaya, please remove the other necklaces that you are wearing, they will interfere with the magic of this one." Mistress demanded, and I looked down at my neck to see the only other thing that was around my neck, which happened to be a silver pedant in the form of a cross. She couldn't be serious...

"But, boss, these necklaces are our proof of employment to you! Without these, we are as good as Grim Reapers!" I yelped out, and I could tell that my sister had cringed at the words "Grim Reapers". Because she knew as well as I did that they were no more than murderers sent by the devil to attack and kill those who belong in Hell.

In response, the Mistress just held her hand out, signaling that she wanted those necklaces. Now. And when she wanted something, she always received it.

Kaya quickly reacted and removed hers, giving it to the Mistress, being completely obedient. Unlike me, who took a while longer and hesitantly removed the necklace, eventually handing it over. As soon as we both did, the human bodies that we in front of the Mistress disappeared, and our new pedants began to glow.

"When you wish to transform between your two forms, simply apply a bit of magic to the necklace, and you will do so." The Mistress said blandly. I had to admit that she was quite nice and all, but she would always be so emotionless when she assigned us souls to collect. And even if this is a special case, she was no different.

"This book will give you all the imformation that you will need, and more." She said, before handing me a leather bound booklet, and I opened it to the very first page, and I could feel Kaya reading it over my shoulder as I was, and on the very front, there were four names written in neat script handwriting.

_Miu:  
>Dark Mousy<br>Daisuke Niwa_

_Kaya:  
>Krad Hikari<br>Satoshi Hikari_

"So we each collect two souls?" I asked Kaya, and she nodded her head silently. I closed the book, and looked at the Mistress, and said the two words that she wanted to hear. "We accept..."

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><p><strong>Daisuke's POV:<strong>

"Class, we have two new students joining us today, who recently transfered to our school. So let us give them a warm welcome!" Sensei said, as the rest of the class returned to their seats and stopped talking to each other.

Two girls entered the room wearing the girl's school uniform, and as if on cue, the class starting making noises of awe at them, while I started staring as well. Both of them had charcoal black hair and the exact same expression on their face. Although, it wasn't really their expression that made them so similar.

"This is Miu..." Sensei said while placing her hands on the shoulders of the girl on the right. "And this is Kaya Hitora..." She said when placing her hands on the shoulders of the girl on the left. Although, I didn't really think that would help, because the two of them looked identical down to every last detail, and I felt kind of bad for thinking so, but there was no way that I would be able to tell the two of them apart from one another.

"Actually Sensei, you are incorrect. I am Miu, and that is Kaya on the right." She blandly said, which caused teacher to automatically apologize to the two of them, but they didn't look like they couldn't care less about what Sensei was saying.

"Niwa, would you be kind enough to show our two new students around the school until they get familiar?" Sensei asked addressing to myself, and of course I nodded in response, while I saw the two of them eye me for a second, while I offered them a smile in return. They ignored the gesture and the one that I was assuming was Miu tugged her sister by the sleeve over to their new seats, where one of them started to write down in some sort of leather bound book, while the other was reading one that looked quite similar to the other one.

_They're so similar... It's hard to tell which one is which... _I thought to myself, but felt something else occupying my mind other than my thoughts.

**_Hey Daisuke, what were the names of those two again? _**Dark asked, suddenly waking up from his usual midday, midmorning, and well, just his usual sleeping throughout any regular day. But, I guess new students didn't come every single day.

_Miu and Kaya Hitora, you would know that if you would actually listen... _I told him, and for some reason I could have sworn I felt him grimace just the slightest.

**_Why don't you go talk to them? You're showing them around the school, right? _**

_I would, but I'm not sure which one of them is Miu or Kaya, and I wouldn't want to offend the two of them... _I replied, although didn't so much as snicker, but was silently staring at them through my eyes.

**_I'm willing to bet that the one writing is Miu. _**He said after a few moments, although I wasn't sure if to trust his judgement or not, I mean, there could be the chance he was wrong, and I wouldn't want to mix the two of them up. **_But what does it matter? You address them by their last names, and that's the same for the both of them._**

Seeing that he had a point, and that I would have to talk to the two of them sooner or later, it would be more fitting to do it sooner. So being so bold to be the first one to do so, I walked up to the two of them with a bright smile on my face.

"It's nice to meet you, Hitora-san, and Hitora-san..." I said, although it felt a bit awkward doing so, the only other twins I had ever known was Riku-san and Harada-san, and I called the two of them by different names, since I felt like I was closer to Miss Riku.

Both of them simultaneously lifting their heads from the identical looking books to meet my eyes, although for some reason one of them had a sort of emptiness in their stare.

"Which one are you talking to?" The one that Dark had said was Miu-san asked me, although I felt a little confused by her question.

"Why, I'm talking to both of you, Hitora-san." I replied, and she snapped her leather book shut and gave me somewhat of a hard glare.

"I mean, which one of us were to talking to just now? What is my name?" She said in a monotone voice, while the other twin had just gone back to reading. And as I felt a little nervous to use the wrong name and offend the two of them, I figured that Dark's guess would be as good as any other's.

"Your name is Miu-san, and your sister's name is Kaya-san." And after I said that, there was a bit of silence between the three of us, although a handful of the noisy chattering continued to occur around us.

"Are you just guessing?" The one that I was now guessing to believe was Kaya asked me, lifting her eyes from her book. "Because we would understand if you are..." She said, and she spoke exactly the same way as her sister, and it made me even more nervous because now I was sure that I had done it, and had mixed the two of them up for one another.

But something like that must happen all the time with the two of them, because even after observing the two of them side by side, I was still puzzled if either one of them had any differences in appearance or composure.

"Well, you were right when you called me Kaya..." She said, but slowly allowed her eyes to drift back to her book, while instead her sister observed me for a second without really saying anything. But, eventually smiled for some reason, and scribbled something down in her notebook before stuffing it into her bag.

"Let's make a deal," Miu-san said with some uncertainty in her voice. "If you can actually tell one of us from the other, then you should call each of us by our first names, that sound fair, Niwa-kun?" She said, letting her head rest upon the palm of her hand, and had what seemed to be a bit of a devious smirk, when I nodded my head in agreement.

For the rest of the period, I talked with Miu-san a bit more, and she seemed a bit more friendly towards me than I would have expected from someone who comes across so cold and bitter, although her sister Kaya didn't seem to show much interest with me in the slightest. I didn't think that she was trying to ignore me, but she didn't seem to be the best with social skills, since I never even saw her turn a page of that book she was reading, so I doubt she was even reading it to begin with.

**_Something does seem a bit strange about them though... _**I heard Dark say, which brought my attention back to him, and also made me a bit curious.

_So Dark, how did you know which sister was which? _I asked him, and he chuckled for a second, and it felt like he was looking at Miu-san through my own eyes, and I could just tell by sheer instinct that he had a smirk plastered on his face.

**_How could I not know? Miu is much more fiery and strong spoken than Kaya, even a blind man could see it!_** He teased, but I felt a bit confused by his choice of words, since he sounded like he actually knew the two of them, but there was no possible way for him to meet them without me knowing, right?

Or maybe, I just might be over thinking it...

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><p><strong>AN: **Please leave a review to tell me how I'm doing!


	3. Problems

**Disclaimer:** legna ND nwo t'nod I... Read it backwards :p

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><p><strong>Kaya's POV:<strong>

"Hey, do you two wanna grab some lunch?" I heard Daisuke say, and although I wasn't sure which one of us the question was addressed to, I nodded my head.

"Yeah, but... just give us a minute." Miu said before I felt her pulling me out of the room, I had no idea where she was taking me, but I knew that where ever we were going, she wanted to be alone to talk about our assignment. After all, we wouldn't want some mortal listening in on our conversation, would we?

Suddenly, I felt my face hit a wall, and I snapped my head back in pain and surprise as Miu immediately apologized for leading me into the wall. I pinched the bridge of my nose and squinted my eyes shut at the unfamiliar pain, since it was the first time I had actually felt it in a while. I heard a door close behind me, and I was guessing that she had pulled us into some sort of vacant room.

"Where are we?" I asked her, but I didn't hear a response right away, only a couple of shuffled footsteps.

"The bathroom, and it's empty..." I finally heard her say, and I finally opened my eyes back open, although, there wasn't really much to see of in the first place.

"First thing I hate about this body, is that we can actually feel pain." I told her, but she just started to laugh as a reply, I didn't really see what was so funny, but I guess my statement would seem rather humorous to her. That is, until she actually feels pain, then I'll be willing to be that she would call the Mistress right away to complain about the issue.

"Oh really? I would think that the first thing you would hate would be the fact that you're blind!" She said rather sarcastically, and all I could do was roll my unseeing eyes as a response, since it didn't seem like she was even taking this mission seriously. True, my lack of vision could prove to be a problem in the near future, but I bet I would be able to find some advantage to it...

I felt along the wall to find the sink and started to splash cold water against my face, since listening to Miu ramble on always seemed to be a bit annoying, although like everything else, I decided to put up with it. Because right now, she would have to serve as my eyes, and either tell me or whisper me directions on where I was suppose to go.

"Although... It could be difficult to spy on my target due to my problem." I started to think out loud, and once again pulled out the book that the Mistress gave us, to see if it would give any hints.

"Hey, you can't read that, can you?" She asked me, and I simply nodded my head, but despite that all I was able to see was endless black, when I opened the book, it was as if I could hear the words in my head, so it was basically the same thing as reading.

_Show me, Satoshi Hiwatari, along with all available information concerning social affairs._ I thought inside my head before opening the book. It seemed as if it had an unlimited amount of pages, but you would have to concentrate on your topic before opening it.

_Not particularly social, Hiwatari Satoshi's main friend is Daisuke Niwa. He is the Chief Commander handling cases with Dark Mousy, and a boy genius who has already has obtained a college degree._

"Great, my target is basically anti-social, I swear, you got a lucky break with Niwa-kun, he would completely open up!" I half yelled at my sister, and she only snickered at my reaction. The only reason she had acted so friendly to Daisuke was so that he would trust her, which was the main thing to have in order to make the right decision for allowing them to pass on.

"Oh please, relax, how about tonight we transform back to our regular forms and spy on our guys? We'll split up and meet back in front of the school around 1AM... Sound okay?" I nodded my head at the suggestion, since it did sound like the most logical thing to do. I wasn't surprised that Kaya had come up with it, because she was more of the planner and organized type, where as I just decided to get the job done as quickly as possible.

_We have about a month to make the decision... So we should get to work..._

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><p><strong>Satoshi's POV:<strong>

"You wanted to see me... Father?"

"Ah, yes, Satoshi! How good to see you!" He greeted with his fake kindness, before looking for something in his desk. Seconds later, he pulled out a manilla colored folder and tossed it onto the desk. He gestured me to approach, so I did as I was told.

"I understand that you have two new classmates, is this true?" He asked, and I slowly nodded my head, he had a type of smirk on his face that gave me an uneasy feeling. I picked up the folder from his desk and started to sift though the various documents that was stuffed into it. Most of it was lengthly reports that would take too long for me to read right here and now, but there was something toward the back which caught my eye.

It was a simple newspaper that seemed like a good number of years old, but it was the headline it contained that seemed to send a small shiver down my spine.

"You see, those two girls seemed to be alive 40 years ago, but they appeared to have suddenly existed again as of yesterday night." He told me, although, I was only half listening while I started to skim the article which was labeled, _Detective Hitora's First Daughter Diagnosed with Cancer._

"What do you expect me to do?" I asked him, and in response, he simply gave a forced laugh which soon turned into a type of cold glare.

"I would like to she who these girls truly are, try spending time with them, find out their actual identities... That is all I ask." And I knew that I wouldn't have much of a choice on the subject, so I decided to simply leave his office and head back to my apartment to read all of these files. As it looked as of now, it looked like he would be pulling an all-nighter.

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><p><em>So, their father was in charge of cases concerning Dark forty years ago... <em>I thought to myself after completing yet another one of the various reports of the two girls, and I certainly felt overwhelmed by the amount of information there was on the Hitora twins.

**_Do you feel like you need a break, Satoshi-sama?" _**Krad asked me, but I shook my head no, deciding not even to verbally answer him, since I was feeling completely stressed out as I was, and I didn't need to add him into the equation... Or did I?

_Krad, did you know these two girls? _I asked him, although all that seemed to give me as an answer was a dark and long laugh, although when he finally finished, he seemed to take a long sigh.

**_Why, I may have seen them through your ancestor's eyes... But I would find it to be impossible for these girls to be the same._** He admitted, although, just the fact that Krad could actually know the two of them could bring up various new questions.

_How could you tell?_ I asked him, and when he started to give a response, I heard his words start to slur in my mind so I wasn't able to make out any of what he was saying. I gripped my head in agony, yet, it seemed so unfamiliar, and I could tell that Krad wasn't the one pulling the strings behind my sudden exhaustion, as I could hear him still making the attempt to communicate with me.

Fatigue started to sweep over me like a sudden wave and I immediately collapsed onto the top of my desk, desperately trying to keep myself conscious, but I could tell I was failing. And as strange as it seemed, it felt as if something was forcing me into this state, but I couldn't think straight as I felt my body finally give in and black out.

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><p><strong><em>Satoshi-sama, are you alright? <em>**I heard blurred words echo throughout my mind as my eyes finally flickered open, only to automatically close again due the brightness of the sunlight that was pouring through the window. I felt myself groan in exhaustion and pulled the covers of my bedspread over my head. _Wait, covers?_

I practically jumped out of my bed at the realization that I was in my bed in the first place, since as my memory serves, I had completely passed out on my desk last night for an unknown reason.

Getting up, I slowly made my way back to my desk to see if anything suspicious in the area could serve as some sort of clue as to what had happened to me, although all there was to see what an empty desk with what looked like black ashes scattered across it, as if something had been burned on top of it.

"The documents!" I screamed in realization and started to look under the desk and near the bed once again, trying to find their location, but no matter where I looked, they seemed to have just completely disappeared altogether. Or, which would be the more reasonable case, burned right where they were last night.

_Krad! What did you do? _I mentally yelled at him, because even if I didn't know what kind of motive he would have, it seemed like it could be the type of thing that he would do just to make my life more challenging and difficult.

**_I promise you, that I have done nothing in the time span of last night and presently._** He replied, but this didn't seem to satisfy my curiosity and confusion, because even if he was being completely honest, there still left the question of what in the world had happened. And perhaps most importantly, who or what wouldn't want me to have those files, and how they were able to pull off such a stunt like the one last night.

_It couldn't be the new students, I haven't even said a word to either one of them... _I rationalized, although, they could also pose as suspects as well, considering that they might be stealing the identities of girls who lived about forty years ago. Or as my father so claims at the moment.

_I need to learn more about the two of them, see if they actually are hiding something after all. _I told myself, as if I had just issued a challenge between myself and the two of them, but whoever they may be, losing wasn't even an option for me.

**_May I be of assistance, Satoshi-sama?_**

* * *

><p><strong>Kaya's POV:<strong>

"So, how was your target stalking last night? All mine did was study and draw..." Miu asked, and I sighed in response.

"I think we might have a problem..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Sorry, I know this chapter is kinda short, but I'll try harder...


	4. What to Do?

The two female personas sat on top of the rooftop of the quite impressive building of Azumano No.2 Junior High, unseen by any stray mortal eyes that may have been open at the early hour of the morning, before the sun had even cast a streak of light. They both conversed with one another concerning documents that Kaya had witnessed her target reading. It was a bit alarming to the both of them that they had been found out so quickly, yet it didn't stand as a large threat at the moment, especially since the documents themselves had been incinerated. Although, the possibility for Satoshi Hiwatari to suspect the two girls of being from the dead might possibly bring an end to their AA Shinigami rank, and more than likely bring them back down to a C class rank, which was the lowest of them all.

If existence of the afterlife had come into the knowledge of the living, harsh penalties would befall those responsible. Yet, most humans never believed those who claimed to have seen or spoken to those of the dead, and passed them off as delusional. But they both knew Satoshi Hiwatari was smart, very smart, and that he knew and believed of otherworldly forces that collided with his own. He was a threat.

"I didn't have enough magic to erase his memory, since forcing him unconscious and transporting his body to his bed took more out of me than I had expected." Kaya admitted, and it was true that in her sister's eyes, it was clear that she seemed exhausted. They both rationalized that the link that bonded them to their human bodies weakened their abilities, and magic was feed to them so that they would not require sleep like other humans.

"Did you read the papers? Do you know what they said?" Miu pestered, failing to contain the obvious excitement that she was feeling at the moment. Kaya looked over to her sister with an arched eyebrow, confused with this sudden change in attitude, but eventually let out a sympathetic sigh.

"No, sorry. I didn't know when he was going to wake up, so I had to burn them pretty fast. Why do you seem to care so much about those papers anyway?" Miu's face looked shocked, almost as if she was disgusted by the words that she had just heard from Kaya. Care? How could she not care? The thought of regaining memories from her past life sounded like the greatest blessing she could ever have. And even if she couldn't remember her life by looking at some papers, at least she would be able to learn a little more about herself. What she faced before death was a complete fog in her mind, almost as if dying had been her rebirth, and she had never once had any life on Earth at all.

"Aren't you just a little curious about who we were? Who our family was? Where we came from? I know I am."

However, while Kaya was asking all of her questions, they were all falling on deaf ears, as Miu continued to stare in front of her. It was as if there was a tingling sensation in the back of her mind, calling out to her, and making it difficult to concentrate on anything else. Without realizing it, her body was moving independently, the small wings on her footwear allowing her to float forward and off of the rooftop. She didn't know what she was flying to, or where she even wanted to go, but her mind seemed to know the answer, and was carrying her there while in a dream like trance.

_Who is it? Who's calling me? _She asked herself questioned she clearly didn't know the answers to, and settled her eyes on the structure that stood in front of her. An ordinary bell tower that was an addition to the school building, standing high and mighty in it's architectural glory. Although, she failed to realize what seemed special about this tower, since there were three others exactly alike it in the proximity. Yet, this specific one seemed to hold some sort of value that she could not begin to understand. It puzzled her, and she floated closer to the observation deck of the structure, when she suddenly felt a strong grip on her shoulder hold her back.

"You okay? You're acting strange..." Kaya stopped suddenly, looking back at the tower, but convinced herself that it wasn't of any importance what might be inside. Her sister looked a bit concerned by the unexplained actions that Kaya had taken, but knew she would have to brush it aside for now, as the sun began to rise, sending fragments of orange warmth across the once grey and cloudy sky.

"Let's focus on our mission, I promise that once this month is over, everything will change for the better. Alright, Miu?"

"Just one question..." Miu started to ask, making sure she had Kaya's full attention. After all, there was one factor that both of them had completely forgotten, which could possibly serve as an obstacle later. "What are we going to do about our homework?"

* * *

><p><strong>Satoshi's POV:<strong>

The school day had been going on with rather bland events, although I didn't pay much attention to them as my classes progressed. During most of them, I had been focused on the set of twins that sat in the upper rows of the classroom. I had noticed that both of them seemed to have some trouble following the lessons, especially the one of them that sat on the right of the other. It was a bit difficult for me to determine which sister was Miu or Kaya, since I did not have enough of an idea of who they were to make an assumption. And there certainly weren't any physical differences thatI could point out.

The school bell rung loudly, signaling the time for lunch, and almost every student began to gather their things together, and talk among themselves. One thing that I had noticed about the twins was that the one who sat on the left always stood up from her seat first, and seemed to drag the other sister along. Nothing quite peculiar, but it was a small lead.

Seeing that the two of them were about to leave the room along with Niwa-kun and the older Harada-san, I took it as a signal for me to make my move in order to follow them. It would seem very unlikely for the two of them to return from the dead, as my father seems to claim, yet they did look quite similar to some old photographs that happened to be among the documents that I had received.

The documents that were now destroyed, before I had even had the chance to read all of them. It was mysterious, and I couldn't help but wonder how they had simply disappeared in the way that they did, and my strongest instincts told me that they had indeed, been burned, yet there was a faint smell of magic in the air as well, which caused suspicion.

"Do you mind if I join you for lunch?" I asked the group of four, although the question was directed mostly towards Daisuke, because I knew that he wouldn't decline, and he didn't. In truth, I _did _have an actual lunch today, since one strange thing that had happened this morning was that a bento box was waiting for me on the counter. Part of me knew that I shouldn't have eaten it, yet when I tried a part of it this morning, I tasted nothing strange with the food that miraculously appeared in my apartment.

True, things had been getting stranger since these two new classmates arrived, but their involvement didn't always seem to make sense. Surely, the mysterious food would have nothing to do with them, yet, if they truly were other worldly spirits, then they might have a reason to discard the documents. But either way, something was certain.

They were hiding something.

I noted that not either one of them had eaten lunch, and the one that revealed herself to be Miu was much more social than her sister, who didn't seem to talk much at all. If anything, she was simply reading a leather bound book that I had seen her with in class various times, yet it was very seldom to see her turn a page. I had never seen beyond the cover, and it somehow interested me.

"What are you reading, Hitora-san?" I asked her, after deciding that the question was innocent enough to ask, and it was a normal question for a person to ask. However, she seemed to tense up a little bit, and glanced in my direction, but didn't make eye contact with me.

"It's a book, Hiwatari-kun. Does it really matter what it is?" She replied, just a tad harshly, before glaring at the pages of the book once more. I found her reaction a bit strange, most people would usually reply with a title, or at least a genre, but her response was rather vague. Was she hiding something?

The rest of lunch passed by smoothly, Miu had been asking Daisuke various questions while smiling, as if she had been interviewing him. This also struck me as a bit odd, but I brushed it aside as a personality quirk that she probably had. They both appeared to be friendly enough, so I would have to become close to one of them in order to fulfill my father's wishes. And seeing as personality goes, Miu would be my best bet.

I spent the rest of classes thinking of how I would be able to separate the twins, since I knew it wouldn't be an easy task to accomplish. Never have I seen the two of them apart from one another, and something told me that Kaya would have a problem with me talking to her sister so much. I wasn't completely sure that would happen, but I would call it intuition to say that she doesn't appear very fond of me.

"Hiwatari-kun and Hitora-san, please come see me." Sensei announced as people were leaving the classroom, and I could see some students began to whisper, but I didn't really care. Both Hitora sisters and I went up to her desk, one of them looking around the classroom, clearly uninterested, while the other was looking at the ground.

"I'm sorry, but I only need to speak to Kaya, so you may leave, Miu." At this comment, the sister that had been looking all around had simply stopped to stare at Sensei, then at her sister. After whispering something into Kaya-san's ear, she left the classroom, although I didn't think that she went much farther than the other side of the door.

"Hiwatari-kun, I'm sorry to trouble you like this, but it has come to my attention that Hitora-san is in desperate need of a tutor. And, you are at the top of the class, so if you wouldn't mind..." I took a small glance at Kaya-san, and it was easy to tell that she seemed rather nervous with this arrangement. However, I was currently on a mission to look into this girl and her sister, so tutoring her might be my best bet in becoming closer.

"Of course, we could start today if you wish, Hitora-san." In response she meekly nodded her head, before walking towards the door of the classroom, and I quietly followed her from behind. Interestingly, when she made a move for the door handle, she didn't automatically grab it, but felt around the door until she found it. Perhaps she had a vision problem?

I chose to ignore it, and followed her outside the classroom, where I saw the other Hitora-san was leaning against the wall, clearly waiting for her sister. Once we had both emerged from the classroom, she immediately hooked her arm with Kaya's.

"There you are! Let's go home, kay?" She said, completely ignoring my presence, and began to drag her sister down the hallway.

"I'm tutoring Hitora-san today. Please leave her with me." I told her before she was out of sight. This made Miu stop short, and she looked back at me curiously, and then at her sister.

"Nonsense, she doesn't need any help, she's fine."

"Not according to Sensei." I retorted back, seeing that it was obvious that all her previous acts of kindness and attempts to be friendly had vanished, replaced with a raw anger that shone in her eyes. Kaya appeared to be indifferent, and was once again staring at the ground. Miu wrapped her arm around her sister's neck and shoulders, almost defensively, still looking at me in an odd way.

Finally, Kaya removed the arm that was draped over her, claiming that it was hurting her neck, and reached for something that was in her bag. Once again, it was the same leather bound mystery book, which she opened up the cover, and practically shoved it in her sister's face. Miu looked back at forth from the book to me various times before releasing a sigh of defeat.

"Whatever, but listen Hiwatari-kun, I don't usually trust anyone with my little sis. So if even _one_ hair on her head is out of place... Well, I'll just have to break both your hands, won't I?" Miu said to me directly, while having the cheeriest of all expressions on her face, but with an evil grin that gave me the idea that she really wasn't one to be messed with. Once I nodded, she flipped her hair before leaving the hallways completely, and I looked again at Kaya. Nothing about this girl seemed very strange, if my father hadn't brought the twins to my attention, they would have just been ordinary classmates.

_I will find out your secret... Kaya Hitora._

* * *

><p><strong>Kaya's POV:<strong>

Offering to assist a classmate in need of help... I suppose that act of kindness would serve in his favor, if only this time. I needed to always be observant of Satoshi's actions, because as far as I was concerned, he was a suitable candidate for heaven. However, I still had time to make my decision, and I knew that I would need it. Never before was I required to judge a human being of worth in order for them to pass on to something as great as Heaven, or as horrible as Hell.

This tutoring could probably work in my favor, but not by much, since there was a probability of 98% that he would discover that I was blind. I couldn't help but wonder how he would react when he realized it. If he felt the urge to aid me even more due to my disability, then it would act kindly in his favor.

Yet, I had yet to even lay eyes on Krad, the one who was said to dwell within him. Well, that wouldn't do, would it? Even if Satoshi currently had a clean slate with me, his soul was only one half of my job to complete, and given my time limit, I would have to act quickly. No matter what, I needed to finish this mission, there was no question about it.

Even if this would be my last month with Miu, I needed to stay focused on my work. This was all for her sake, even if she didn't know it yet. I needed to make things right for my sister, it was my job to help her redeem herself, and I would take any risk in order to see that happen.

_I will discover your sins... Satoshi Hikari._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Sorry that it's been like, a year since an update, but I'm about to go to camp, so I'll try to update after that. And yes, the title is different now, only because the original one was too long to fit on the cover.

CHECK OUT THE NEW COVER~ The two girls are Miu and Kaya, Miu is holding a Dark chibi/plushy and Kaya is holding one of Krad... Yeah, I had to chance the hair color of the plushies, but besides that, I didn't do much to the original image, which is from an anime called HunterxHunter... I think...


	5. Closer

**Satoshi's POV:**

"So, do you understand the passage on page 58? It's basically a metaphor that later foreshadows the main character's death near the end of the book." I could see Kaya nod in acknowledgement to what I was saying, although I could really tell that she had no idea what I was talking about. At least, that's what I guessed from the dumbstruck look that was on her face when I looked at her staring blankly at the book. Glancing over to her copy, I resisted the urge to sigh rather loudly due to my utter annoyance.

She wasn't even on the correct page.

"Uh, thank you for the help, Hiwatari-kun, but I better get going, have to be somewhere tonight." She said rather quickly before shutting her book shut and stuffing it into her bag. It was about 5:30, so I knew that I wouldn't be needed at the museum until at least 8pm, after all, it was only this afternoon when Dark was announced to steal the Saint's Tear at midnight tonight. I watched Kaya as she somewhat rushed to gather her things together, and noted how clumsy she seemed to be, and how her eyes would never completely focus on one thing.

Could she really have been revived from the dead? I mean, that was what my father seemed to believe, although I still found the mere thought preposterous. If there was anything strange about her, it might be her serious attitude and perhaps a vision problem, if she even were to have such a thing. I was only making assumptions from my own observations, so I wouldn't even know if my guesses were correct or not.

_**Satoshi-sama, I do believe that the girl is blind. **_Krad said in a rather hushed voice, although the fact for his sudden input did not surprise me in the slightest. For some reason, his presence had been rather strong throughout the entire study session that I had spent with Kaya, at one point, I believed I was at risk of him forcing himself out, yet he never did. I could feel that he made quite an effort to, there were a few magical pulses that came and went, but whenever I had expected wings to rip from my own back, they never appeared.

_How would you be able to tell something like that? _

_**Just call it... Intuition. **_He replied quite blandly, and I could tell that he was still watching Kaya as she was getting up to leave the library. If she really was blind, how on earth was she going to be able to walk home? Watching as she started to walk away, it was only a couple of mere seconds until her leg came into collision with a nearby table, although she shook it off as nothing, and started walking.

"Kaya-san!" I quickly called after her, grabbing my bag off the floor in the process, and she stopped walking for a moment and began to turn around, although on instinct, I grabbed her wrist to make sure she wouldn't walk away. She flinched at my touch, and I felt her try to slightly pull away.

"Are you... blind?"

"Hm? Why are you talking nonsense, Hiwatari-kun?"

"Please don't lie to me, I would feel extremely guilty if I allowed a blind girl who just moved into the neighborhood to walk around the streets." The way that her head was positioned, I could tell that she was looking at me, but just as always, she never looked me directly in the eye, which only caused for more suspicion. It was only my own conscience at work telling me that it wasn't a good idea for a blind girl to be walking around, for all I knew, she could walk out into the middle of the street and not even know it.

"...Don't tell anyone."

* * *

><p>After a while of sitting down with Kaya, I was able to convince her to let me walk her home, although she seemed a bit hesitant, and didn't even wish to converse very much with me. I had no idea that our school would place a girl with such a disability in a regular class without any extra help, besides asking for me to tutor her. Yet, that didn't go completely smoothly, now did it?<p>

As we walked through the streets, and overprotective feeling had suddenly come over me, and without even thinking on my own accord, my left hand rested on her right shoulder in a somewhat controlling manner. Of course she had flinched, although didn't make any other action for me to remove my hand from it's position. But even if I tried to, I found that it was as if I was glued to her, but then I realized...

_Krad... What are you doing?! _I knew that there would only be one logical explanation for why part of my body would suddenly not be in my own control, and my curse would be the one pulling the strings to it all. Yet, it was suspicious when he did not answer me at all, yet still looked through my eyes, controlled my arm. What on earth was he up to?

When that all too familiar searing pain surged through my body, I found myself unwillingly gripping Kaya's shoulder with a tightened grasp and slightly leaning on her from the sudden fatigue. _Why? Why take over now? _My head was swimming and the pain in my back was already starting to form.

_A touch._ The brush of a soft hand across mine almost went completely unnoticed by the wall of pain that I just collided with. But that touch was caring, and was much like a wave of the ocean, carrying away my other self from me. Something so gentle and faint, yet it brought a soothing presence that filled my body with warmth.

"Hiwatari-kun... You do not sound alright... Is something wrong?" _That voice... _Even though I had not known her very long, her voice seemed so familiar, so comforting, as if I had heard it before. But even more curious than that, what had happened to make Krad disappear so suddenly? I had been on the brink of transformation, and as if by magic, he had been repelled away into the deepest parts of my mind. I looked at her, and for the first time realized how empty those eyes of hers were.

"Kaya-san..."

"Yes? What is it?" She seemed completely obvious to my previous condition, and completely nonchalant to the recent encounter. What if the reason that Krad was retreated into the crevasses of my mind was solely because of this strange girl, whom I had every right to hold suspicions about at this point in time? Even if she was some sort of elusive ghost, would that possibly mean that she would be able to harness some strange power that would assist me to lifting my dreadful curse? These were only over exaggerations of my deluded hopes, but the actual thought that they might become reality through this girl would be a chance willing to be taken.

"I believe we will be spending much time together."

* * *

><p><strong>Miu's POV:<strong>

I have to say, that out of all of my previous jobs, this one would take the cake in the sense of weird turning into weirder. I could tell that Kaya had been sulking a bit earlier tonight, since that Krad guy was still a no show, but we both were able to silently watch as Dark swiped the artwork without fail, and I followed him into the sky as he took off.

But now... here I was, in some drab and dusty basement in the Niwa household, tracing the outlines of bricks to take my mind off of the utter boredom of watching the family converse down below where I was floating. Absentmindedly, I began to trace the outline of the brick walls of the basement to preoccupy myself, I mean, after chasing Dark down from the crazy flying speeds he had been traveling at, I stealing, and while he was in the air. What were they planning to do with the stolen property anyway? Sell it on some sort of black market? Collect it just for the heck of it?

My answer really wasn't answered when Daisuke, now transformed into himself again, placed the artwork on some pedestal, although for the first time tonight, I had noticed something a bit strange about the art. For some reason, I felt as if it had a pulse, one of a distinct magic which I was not very familiar with, and of course this obscurity interested me to an extent.

"What are they doing with the sculpture?" I mumbled under my breath, although it wouldn't really matter how loud I talked, after all, no one would be able to hear me anyway. All of a sudden, as the Niwa's grandfather and mother raised their strange staffs while chanting something unheard to my ears, a wave of magic overtook the room.

Although it was an invisible force, it was a strong one that seemed to hit me like a wall, chocking my own throat that didn't even need breath to begin with. It wasn't even in my slightest imagination how mortals would be able to call forth such a power. My mind was fogged with confusion, ever since I had even laid my eyes on Dark, something inside of me was set alight, although I didn't have the faintest idea what.

This assignment just seemed to be getting stranger with each passing hour, and I didn't like it. Perhaps I should report this back to Kaya, she would probably have some sort of explanation for all these strange occurrences with this family. She always had a calmer head than I did, who just loved to slice things open at the end to get that feeling of satisfaction when the deed was good and done.

"Halt, unknown spirit! For I can sense your unwanted presence!" I heard a voice call as I was about to fade through the ceiling to travel back up to ground level, looking back down, I saw the old man, whose eyes were scanning the ceiling, as if he actually did sense me, yet couldn't tell my exact position. Well, this could be interesting to see him quite confused, and faded back into the room, and started to float around as if to confuse him even more.

"What are you talking about, Grandpa?" A confused Daisuke asked, only to be hushed by the older man, even though I could tell that his mom, Emiko was it? Also seemed just as clueless. I couldn't help but giggle a bit, and thought of how I could make this even more entertaining for myself... After a moment, I quickly flew behind the old man and grabbed the hood of his cloak and covered his entire face with it.

I enjoyed the looks of shock that graced the faces of the other two humans in the room, although the old Niwa scrambled to pull the piece of cloth out of his face. But, in a moment all too quick, the man swung his staff in a way that a magical pulse hit me dead center, knocking the wind out of me almost automatically. The sudden attack made me collapse against the wall of the basement, and I found myself unable to move.

"Ah, I see, here is the mischevious spirit which has been floating around here... Although it's aura feels entirely different from one of an artwork." This pain... it surged through my body far too quickly, and I haven't felt pain in quite a long time, which made it even more overwhelming. I clutched my abdomen in aggravation, the situation right now had taken me by surprise, I had never expected any human to be able to detect me so easily.

What was wrong with this family? Their magic seemed even stronger than my own, and they were still part of the living! In frustration, I pressed my hand against the cool bricks, and attempted to merge into it, yet, I could only feel the hardness that was the wall. What was happening? I pressed even harder, trying to use the full extent of my powers, but was disappointed when I received no results.

Even my boots seemed fried, not even the wings would flutter. No matter how I looked at it, I could tell that I was trapped, even if I was invisible, there was magic here that could affect me.

"Spirit, the force you were struck with confiscates your magic, and unless you reveal yourself, I believe that I will not return it to you."

What? I couldn't believe what I was hearing, and felt myself trembling in fear. A shinigami should never reveal themselves, doing so is unforgivable, and showing myself to the Niwas... I knew that Daisuke would automatically recognize me, and my job would be ruined. After all, if the family realized that I was out to steal his soul, they would never give my magic back anyway. Yet, I had to do something...

"Please..." I whispered hoarsely, grasping the necklace that the Mistress gave me, so that the humans would be able to hear my voice. "I need my magic... Please give it back." I knew that I sounded desperate, but at this point, I didn't know what else I could do. The only possible way for me to escape would be to walk out of the room and wait until the sunlight came up, but I even felt far too weak to do that.

A shinigami's power can be recharged in the sunlight... the sun and moon is the main source of our strength, for they are parts of the holy elements given to the Earth by God. Although we ourselves are not holy, we absorb that holy power, if we lose it, there is a rumor that we turn into ghosts. That is a fate that I would never want to befall either me or my sister.

This old man seemed to be ruining everything, it had barely been a week before my task had been assigned, and already, I was facing danger like I never had before. Was this why the Mistress chose my sister to take on this job? Because it was far too hazardous for any newer recruits? Why didn't I understand anything that was happening? And why did for some strange reason, this old man caused a completely different pain other than a physical one whenever I looked at him?

Where was Kaya when I needed her most? I needed to get out of here!

* * *

><p><strong>Daiki's POV:<strong>

"Please... I need my magic... Please give it back." That hoarse whisper which echoed the room in an eerie manner filled my own mind with shock, considering that this unknown spirit had made itself known to us, which was usually not the case. True, I still could not see the source of the voice, the owner of the magic which I now held in my staff, but there was something in that whisper that seemed far too familiar.

For some reason, I had a hunch, that it was from my younger days as a phantom thief, the familiar voice of a girl that I had not heard in 40 years, yet still haunted my memories whenever I dared think about it.

Yes. I saw it now, a blurred memory that held a place as one of the most shocking and mournful moments that had taken place in my youthful days. Just the thought of the memories caused my own old heart to ache from distress, and for some reason, the voice of this spirit... Sounded just like _her._

If only for that reason, I was more than just tempted to return the powers which I now held almost immediately. Yet, even with the inner turmoil that I felt, there was still a chance that this spirit could cause some sort of harm, and I had done the right thing in taking away its powers.

"Grandpa... Dark says that you should give the powers back." I heard Daisuke say from behind me, and for a moment, I had even forgotten that him and Emiko were still in the same room. Would it be possible that Dark's memory had been jogged as well at the mere sound of that voice? Whatever the case had been, I quickly relinquished the power trapped inside of my staff, and I could feel as it automatically left the air and seemed to disappear into a certain point near the wall.

After a few moments, I could no longer sense the presence of whatever it was had lurked here.

"Dad... What was that about? I didn't even sense anything until I heard that girl's voice." Emiko asked me, and I only faked one of my classic grins to hide the confusion that was still rushing through my head. I couldn't let the rest of them know of what I suspected until I was completely certain myself.

I believe it is far time to visit a certain grave.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Ohmygosh please don't hate me! School is a bunch of craziness in a box, and it can not be contained! Thank you to a reviewer for reminding me to update this story. ((Remember, REVIEWS change the world! Or at least updates of the stories I write~))


	6. The Visit

**Dark's POV:**

With Daisuke in a deep sleep and locked far within our shared subconsciousness, I thought it had been a good opportunity to be able to stretch my limbs, since for some odd reason, this heist had taken more out of me than usual, making me feel just a bit stiff. In truth, I was rather exhausted myself, and would have loved to simply fall back into his bed which was just a tad too small for my larger proportions, and curl up with his acidulous stripped blankets. Yet, I could just barely feel some strange feeling in the back of my head that made me restless. My thoughts had been mulled over time and time again, as if some crazy old man inside of my memory had been attacking it with a lawnmower, unearthing things that I would rather forget. But now, I had no choice but to remember all those events, most of which were blissful for the time being, but here and now, they only made me full of regret. And I was also practically forced to think about them, they plagued my dreams, entered all my thoughts, and for some time, I thought I wouldn't be able to stand it. But, here I am, thinking about them in the blissful background of the night sky.

And I had always preferred the night over day for several reasons. One of those reasons which happened to perfectly fit for my current mood was the sheer silence that the darkness brought. It allowed me a chance to truly think about things, an activity which I did not do very often. I remember the days when it used to be so simple, I knew that I had a purpose to seal the Hikari artwork, and in most cases in order to complete this mission, I would resort to using my astounding skills of blending into the night. I had never expected to receive as many 'fangirls' as I did, but the thought was charming.

After all, who would be able to deny this flawless face? No one in their right mind, that's who!

But, wait. _I suppose she wasn't really in her 'right mind' was she?_

That _she_ who had looked past his beauty and saw nothing but a criminal. That _she_ who did not recognize the good deeds in his attempts to only help those like her. That _she_ who had attempted to capture him, time and time again without avail, most of her efforts were of course, in vain. What had that girl been thinking? Capturing a great and astounding phantom thief like him, it simply was not heard of!

**_You really need to do something about that large ego of yours, it's not very attractive._ **

_Get out of my head..._

_**Why in my right mind would I want to go out with you? Do you take me for a fool?**  
><em>

_Get out..._

_**For god's sake! I despise you! How dare you! **_Tears would stream down her cheeks as _she_ ran off into the bitter darkness of the night, leaving me with my arms still open, hugging only the empty air where_ she_ had once been, next to me. The sobbing figure disappeared from my sight, all under one moonless night where the darkness was only illuminated by the flickering street lamps._  
><em>

_No, I don't want to remember..._

But I can't forget, how I never chased after _her, _how it took all of my strength not to see _her_ again. Those agonizing days slowly passed where I felt nothing but a dark abyss looming over me, and as those days passed, I remember all too clearly his cheerfulness. The one thing that I truly envied my current tamer at the time, for he had found the one thing that I could never truly have, how it had enveloped his mind so that he almost completely disregarded me. These thoughts that clouded his mind were forced upon my own, only causing me to loathe my own existence.

_Love..._

It was when Daiki had found his sacred, stolen her heart just as any true phantom thief would be able to do. That moment was also one that I would have never be able to forget, but only for completely different reasons that my past memories. For, it was in that moment, that I knew that Daiki had been different from all of my past tamers, and I knew that I would not have been able to loathe him as I thought I might have. It was when he had revealed me to his sacred maiden... and I would feel myself being pulled toward the Kokuyoku once more, he had spoken to me one last time.

_**Dark... Thank you for everything, I can't wait to see you again through my own son... Until then, ****my**** friend.**_

"I thought I might find you here... My friend." So lost in m thoughts, I failed to notice the presence that was behind me, turning around, I was somewhat relieved to see that it was only the old man. In all honesty, it was a bit difficult for me to watch him grow up and change into an elderly man, not that I would ever admit it to him. And, for some reason, he always referred to me as... his 'friend'.

Friend... that was had made Daiki so different from his ancestors, and Daisuke held that same quality as his grandfather did. They had never truly seen me as their curse, never did they recognize that I was nothing more than a sickness that flowed in their bloodline. An immortal curse... How could they possibly recognize friendship with something that plagues their love? My entire purpose in this world was originally to stop the Niwa bloodline, to prevent them from ever finding true love, it was through my own decision in the first place to seal the Hikari masterpieces, the pieces of work that had caused so much pain, such I did to the family.

So... Why was I a friend?

"Hey... Daiki... Do you mind if I ask you something?"

He nodded slowly, a small smile spread across his face. I sighed to myself, looking down to the ground, not quite sure if I myself even wanted to know the true answer to the question that had been on my mind. But, I knew that I would probably never get any satisfaction if I didn't ask it. "Do you, uh... know... who she ended up loving?"

"Ah, I had a feeling you would eventually ask that... You recognized her voice, didn't you?"

"I thought it might have just been my imagination, but lately I haven't been able to stop thinking about her, I mean for god's sake, her _granddaughters _are in Daisuke's class! They're so much like her that it hurts!" Kaya and Miu Hitora... There was no denying that I knew those names, it was as if those two were spitting images, if not only tricks of my mind meant to torment me.

"Granddaughters? Dark, I believe that there is something that you need to see... Tomorrow, I'll have Emiko call Daisuke in sick, we have a rather long journey ahead of us." With this, he left the balcony and returned back into the house. Damn, did that old man never stop talking in riddles? I mean, what would be so important that I would need to see? And what the hell did he mean by journey?

Oh well, I guess I shouldn't think about it too much... I released a rather loud yawn, finally realizing how exhausted I actually was after tonight. I quickly climbed up into Daisuke's bed, slightly curling my body in order to fit into his bed, marveling how small he seemed to be in comparison to me, even Daiki had been a bit closer to my height when he was fourteen. I remembered how seeing through his eyes wasn't as dramatically lower than Daisuke's.

I attempted to change back into Daisuke as soon as I had climbed back into the slightly cramped bed, but something made me wonder, what would it be like to physically fall asleep in a bed? With my curiosity piqued, I thought it wouldn't hurt, and attempted to drift into what I hoped would be a peaceful sleep.

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><p>The next morning. I knew it was morning when I saw the streams of light finding their way into Daisuke's bedroom. I groaned loudly and sat up on the bed, realizing that I was still in my own form. Strange. I would have thought that the transformation would of occurred overnight, but I guess it makes things a bit easier this way.<p>

After climbing downward to the floor, it wasn't long until I realized a set of clothes placed on my tamer's desk, along with a small scrap of paper, which was presumably some sort of note. Picking it up, I saw that there were only two words that were scrawled on the paper, which I now assumed was meant for me to read. _Get dressed._

Well, that would explain the clothes. I shrugged my shoulders and picked up the black suit that was ever so neatly folded. It was a bit too stuffy and formal for my own tastes, but reluctantly put it on anyway. It fit rather well, so Emiko was the one that made it most likely, that woman knew my measurements like the back of her hand, no joke. I could never understand her obsession with making all of my clothes, but perhaps it was some sort of housewife thing that I didn't understand.

I stepped in front of the mirror, giving myself one final look before placing a black hat on top of my head, which hid most of my hair and face. Only a precaution, although sometimes I think that the people living in this area are so dense that they wouldn't even recognize me if I simply wore a pair of sunglasses.

Seconds later, there was knocking on the door and Daiki walked inside the room, looking about as formal as I did, carrying a small black bag as well as a briefcase. He made a small head motion, telling me it was time to go.

It was strange being outside in the daytime, walking along the streets with the other people, who sometimes gave you a second glance because you were dressed differently from everyone else. But not many people gave me any attention. The two of us walked towards the bus terminal, and waited there for quite a while with a small crowd for the next crosstown bus. I was confused as ever, but I knew it was just better to not question Daiki's motives, he was pretty trustworthy after all.

_**Dark? Why are you in my body? I have to go to school! Why is Grandpa with you? What's going**_** on?**

Oh great, Daisuke's awake now. Just what I needed...

_Just don't worry about it Dai... What's going on right now doesn't have anything to do with you. Just... don't worry about it._

I could tell that he still wanted to talk, and I could still feel him in the back of my mind as I got onto the bus, maybe it had been my cold attitude that shut him up, but I'd never really know. The two of us sat near the back of the fairly crowded vehicle, as I stared out the window that was on my right side. Daiki had sat a row in front of me, not that I minded or anything. Nobody else took that seat next to me, although it felt strange that I constantly thought someone was there. It was like a presence of a person was sitting there, and it never moved throughout the entire ride.

Maybe I was just being paranoid.

The bus traveled all the way to the outskirts of the town, and through some of the countryside. Most of the people had gotten off already, and even more continued to leave until it was just me, Daiki, and the strange presence that I still felt. I swore that during one instant I had peered out of the corner of my eye and saw the figure of a girl with black hair, but when I fully turned around, it was just the empty seat.

_Gotta calm down..._

While I was spacing out, I noticed how the old man in front of me stood up, and I followed suit, walking closely behind him to get off of the bus. Looking around, I knew I had never been to this place before, probably for obvious reasons, especially with the gloomy atmosphere.

A graveyard. I could already tell that this was not a good sign. Daiki said that he wanted me to see something, and he brings me to a graveyard. _No, no, it can't be true... _I kept thinking over and over in my head as he led me down the empty rows of cobblestone graves, glancing at a couple ever so often for names, desperately hoping that there is one in particular that I don't see. It was only 40 years ago, she couldn't have...

_She couldn't have..._

_**Dark, what's wrong? Who is this girl you keep thinking about? **_I didn't want to hear him now, more than anything I just wanted to tell Daisuke to shut up. I didn't want him talking to me now, not when I was all tense like this. The air was caught in my chest, and I could barely breathe, my free hand which wasn't holding the small bag that I was given going underneath my cap and tugging at my scalp in nervousness. And that was when I nearly bumped into Daiki, but stopped myself just in time to avoid the collision.

And then I saw it.

It wasn't long until I followed his gaze and happened upon yet another slab of rock, although this one was slightly different than all the other ones that we had passed by before. There was a name on this one that I knew all too well, one that I had tried to forget during my 40 dormant years, but it soon came back stronger in my mind than ever before. But, I still couldn't understand why... Why?

_Miu Hitora_

My knees felt as if they would give any second, my head buzzing in the uncomfortable silence, thinking about everything and yet not being able to think at all at the exact same time. I wasn't gone for that long... There was no possible way that she could be gone... This reality would be the single worse thing that I could have possibly imagined, but never once dared to even consider. The visions that I dreamt of, her with another man happily married, and I would be a completely forgotten waste of her time, just a blemish of her past. But... when she died... It was simply impossible.

_Miu Hitora  
><em>  
>"She passed of heart disease not long after you had disappeared, I never had the courage to tell you, my dearest apologies."<p>

_**Miu Hitora... Wait, Dark, what does this have to do with Miu-san? Did you know her**_** relative?**

"D-Don't apologize Daiki... She was... your friend, after all. It must have been hard on you too." The words croaked out of my mouth, although I couldn't even stand to face him. What was this feeling that bubbled and boiled deep inside of me? It felt like anger, or hatred, the betrayal of being kept in the dark about this entire situation. But how? How could she have vanished the same year in which I had? In a way, we had both taken a deep slumber I suppose, although she would never awake from hers, unlike myself.

That's when I realized. I did feel hatred, but it wasn't towards Daiki, or even the brat that wouldn't stop asking repulsively idiotic questions inside my head. I knew who I hated above all else. It was the type of hatred that I couldn't run away from, and I had lived with it for all of my existence, but most of the time I brushed it aside, except for now, when my entire world seemed to crumble underneath my feet, and there was nothing to help pick me up again.

I hated myself.

Why is it that I had to live as an immortal, as those that I had grown to know withered and died? The one that I had loved now gone with from the world, and the only proof of her existence in distant memories and a grave marker. It wasn't fair, it never was. Finally spying what had been in the small bag that Daiki had brought all along, I knew that it would probably be rather appropriate, considering the situation. Pulling out the single item, I glanced at it for what it was, a red rose, the type of flower that I had given to her long ago, but it also symbolized something greater, at least in my mind it did.

I placed it on the soft dirt in front of her tombstone, gazing at the contrast of the red color against the ground, and found myself slightly grinning, although no sense of joy was in my heart. It would have been better if I had never known, if her existence had only remained a mystery to me, much like I had been to her at the time, not that I really knew what she thought of me, it was merely a guess.

I turned around to see Daiki walking away to leave me alone in peace, my thoughts still swimming, but it was only by chance that I noticed the grave next to Miu's.

No, not her too... I had never quite known Miu's sister, but I knew that Daiki had, and when she had been alive, she had gotten herself into a mess of trouble. She had always been so helpless, it almost made me feel pity for her, if only she had never met him, she would have probably been better off in her darkness of the world. _He_ ruined her, filled her with false happiness, I had been blinded by my own love and had not protected Miu's sister at the time.

How could they both die? Miu and Kaya...

_Wait..._ I thought to myself, noticing something that had been almost oblivious to me while I had been so focused on the graves.

_That bastard... He knows something! _

"Daiki! Tomorrow night, make sure Emiko sends out a warning letter, I don't care what it's for! Just make it something good!"

**Miu's POV:**

I watched as the two males walked down the rows of tombstones that were arranged into neat rows. The entire graveyard was full of the grey slabs, some more impressive than others, yet the only ones that really mattered to me were the very ones I couldn't help but stare at. I knew that I must have had some final resting place in this world, but I never expected to actually find it, nor did I anticipate that my present target had led me right to it. Glancing in their direction once more, I deduced that it was more than safe, and quickly switched into my human form that the Mistress had given me.

But I knew it was a fake, after all, my true body was beneath me, no more than brittle bones that were probably decaying in the soil. It was a sickening thought, but facing it would be the best way to overcome this fear.

Slowly, I picked up the blood red rose that laid in front of my gravestone, running my fingers over the velvety petals of the flower, now knowing that it was actually meant for me. I had never thought myself much of a romantic, bit the thought of receiving a single red rose was truly heart warming, but it also led to questions about the person who had left it there.

Looking at my death date, it would seem to make sense if the old man knew who I was, as creepy as that now seemed, that I could have known that man in another life. However, what about Dark? There was something very mysterious about his actions, even late last night, it sounded as if he had claimed to know who I was. He appeared quite young, although I had been well informed that he was in fact a sort of curse that had lived hundreds of years, which made the possibility of some sort of relation with him more plausible.

I decided to keep the rose with me, and used a small preservation spell in order to prevent it from wilting, thus changing back to my normal form. After all, it was meant for me, so why shouldn't I take it? It seemed like an awful waste to have it just lay on the ground to grow old and die, while I could carry it with me and admire it to a small extent.

There was only one thing that had slightly bothered me since we had arrived, and Dark seemed to ignore it except the instant when he seemed to erupt in a blind rage, but it was one thing that I could not overlook. Miu's grave had been the one that was next to mine, respectively, since we were sisters. Sure, it looked like a normal gravestone, just like all the rest, but there was something near the gravestone itself which caused for some suspicion.

Laying on the ground was a beautiful small arrangement of white roses that were tied together with a pure white satin ribbon. They looked rather fresh, but were probably laying there for a couple days at least. And attached to that ribbon was...

A single white feather.

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><p><strong>AN: **Blah blah blah, I haven't updated in a while, I should work on my other stories, blah blah blah... Does anybody think that I should put DarkxOC and KradxOC in the summary? As if it hasn't been blatantly obvious at this point in the story...


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